Beadle's Dime Library No. 851 — page 23: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

—- —_ anger : . : 7 me | i c 2 a > ee rt Buffalo Bill’s Double Dilemm Be ; when we met on the trail, when I was hunt- ing, and rode back here with you?” ‘‘T mean tosay that 1 saw you in disguise some days ago, when you guided me by the secret pass | spoke of, and I have received several warning letters from you, staked up in the trail, giving me news that saved my , life, while you appeared as a witness in my } behalf the other night at Headquarters Ranch, ‘* But you deny all this?” ‘‘ Most certainly I do, though there is nothing that I would not do to save any of the brave Pony Riders from death.” Buffalo Bill shook his head in an incredu- lous way and Little Sunbeam asked quick- ly: ‘* Have you those letters?” ‘*T have the last one [received with me.” ‘* Let me see it.” He handed her the last warning, and the moment she glanced at it she said: ‘Why, this is not my writing, Buffalo Bill. “Come in and I’llshow you my writing, for you cannot see well in the moonlight.’ He silently followed her into the cabin, and she handed to him her diary, and said: ‘ See, that is my writing, and it is wholly different from this letter.” ‘‘ Yes, but the testimony of my eyes.” “You say that you saw me?” ‘* Yes.” ‘« At headquarters?” ‘ Buffalo Bill, I pledge you my word you are mistaken,”’ ‘‘Then you have a double, Little Sun- beam, and I did not believe that possible.” ‘‘T a double?” she cried excitedly, and then she stood lostin deep meditation a mo- ment, and broke the silence with: ‘* Buffalo Bill, you did not see me at the ranch, for I was not there. ‘‘I did not write those warning letters, gladly as I would have warned you if I had known of your danger. ‘*Some one else has, and I ask you, did she say that she was Lena Ross?” ‘*No, I recall now that she simply raised her vail and revealed your face, when Cap- tain Starbuck asked her who she was.”’ ‘* Buffalo Bill, you interest me far more than you can know. ‘Sit right there and tell me the whole story of my—my—double,” and Lena Ross spoke in a tone of deep feeling. CHAPTER XLVIL. ON THE TRAIL OF A PARD, ‘Ir the girl is deceiving me she is a finish- ed actress and a very miokad woman to say what she does on honor.” So said Buffalo Bill when he looked at Little Sunbeam and heard her last words, begging him to tell her the story he bad claimed she knew all about. But there was a look away back in the depths of her beautiful eyes that was all in- nocence and truth, and so he said: ‘‘ Little Sunbeam, I am inclined to take your word against my own eyesight.” ‘*Do so, for you will have it proven to you, that I would not lie to you, would not deceive you, ‘‘What motive haveI for doing so, and had it been in my power to have served you, and other Pony Riders, would I not have gladly done so? ‘* Would I not be too glad to accept the honor, and not to seek to deny it? | “Then too, how could I have been your mysterious guide and yet be here whemyou arrive, for I would not have fresh mounts as you Pony Riders have?” bewildered, and yet I had the evidence of . “T thought of all that, and “admit I was ‘what I saw, and others saw, and one and all believed that it was you.” ‘Do you now think so, Buffalo Bill?” ‘Frankly no, when I have your word that it was not; yes, and reason too tells me as I view it now that it could not have been ou. ‘** But then who was it?” ‘*That [am going toask you to find out for me, for it is more important than you now can imagine, ‘‘But tell me, please the whole story of he warnings, your meeting with her, and = Me : Se i ce ery. ” ¥ ee Sh o> ‘ i a9 AW. Se Ta . aa tT Se Se ae eee eee her coming to appear as a witness in your favor. ** Yes, I want to know it all, and you will tell me, will you not, Buffalo Bill?” *« Yes, I will tell you all, and perhaps we can find out who my Girl Guide is.” Then Buffalo Bill told the whole story from beginning to’end, stating that he had kept the warning a secret as he supposed of course that his mysterious guide wag in some way connected with the band of Cloven Hoofs and it would get her in trouble if it was known that she had done anything to aid the Pony Riders, ‘* When, as he supposed, Little Sunbeam appeared as the ‘‘ Unknown,” he confessed that he was completly staggered, and Cap- tain Starbuck had wondered how she, the stock-tender’s daughter, was so well inform- ed of the movements of the outlaws, ‘“T tell you, Little Sunbeam, no one save you and I must hold this secret, that it was not you that appeared at the trial that night, for we might save the one who serves me so well a great deal of trouble, as it will surely leak out and get to the ears of the Cloven Hoofs in some way, for see, Fearless Frank | , intended to play a bold game to benefit him- self, and Silent Sam isa traitor, so you see we must be careful who we trust.” ‘* Certainly, and I wish to ask you not to speak to my father of this, at least not for a while, as I wish more material than we now have to work on before I tell him about it.” ‘¢] will do as vou wish, Miss Lena.” ‘*Thank you, and let me tell you that it means a great deal to my father and myself, yes and others too.” ; ‘* But is it not strange that Pony Bob has not come in, for it is past the time for you to have started on your return run?” ‘‘ Yes, I should have been off ten minutes ago,” ; ‘‘T will get a horse and ride on to see what is the matter.” Several horses were always kept up at the cabin, so ina few minutes Buffalo Bill had saddled an animal and wason his way up the traii. He rode directly to where it crossed the brook, just at the rapids, and as he reached the ford he saw Gentleman George coming across, ‘“You have not found him?” he said, anx- iously, as the stock-tender reached the shore where he was. ‘*No, and, as you see, if was not the brook that detained him, for it was not near so high as I thought. . ‘‘T crossed on my bridge, a quarter of a mile above, and which spans the stream where it is narrow, running between high cliffs.” ** Did you ride far?” ‘*Several miles,” ‘* And saw no signs of him?” ‘‘None, so I returned to talk with you as to what was best to be done,” ‘Tam going on to the next station, but you.return, for your daughter is all alone and you may be needed.” “True, but Lena is pretty well able to take care of herself, and then the cabin is a fort you know, while she has the dogs, too.” ‘Yes, but I dislike to leave her alone, and I can find out what the trouble is, for I cannot understand the delay, as Pony Bob is an on-time rider, as you know, and pretty well able to take care of himself.’ ‘* Yes, indeed, he certainly is; but he is mortal, and a bullet will bring any man down—see there! some one is coming.” They were in the shadow of the trees across the stream, and they both beheld a form come into the moonlight, He was following the trail, and coming along at a trot, ‘‘ Bravo! it is Pony Bob, and he has had trouble for he is afoot,” cried Buffalo Bill to Gentleman George, as the two sat on their horses across the stream watching the dis- mounted Pony Rider’s approach, ; . OHAPTER XLYIII. PONY BOB, Pony Bos was as cunning as a fox, all of his comrades asserted. s+ a) Coorg. , He was small in stature, but wiry and My ‘It's a hoof dance of nine miles, Handy.* : > 1 4 ie, at ‘ ‘ ~ "h ; . = 7 rap bE i an a9 “N cas SRE \ ore ae ry : . : i . — ae” aes Ta quick, while he held himself erect with the dignity of a general reviewing his command, But Pony Bob’s dignity was all in appear- ance outwardly, as he was the greatest imp of mischief in the Pony Riders’ League. He could run like a deer, ride like a Co- manche, and mount and dismount at full speed. His endurance was wonderful, and he was wholly devoid of knowing emotion of fear, Big chances he always took, and his very boldness was wont to carry him through. When in his camp he was constantly play- ing jokes upon his comrades, and his inno- cent expression caused him to be the last man suspected, Buffalo Bill was his beau ideal of manhood and Wild Bill was another type of man that he regarded as far above par: It had been Pony Bob’s luck once to do a great service to & Mormon train, and since then he had been most kindly regarded by all of Brigham Young’s followers, oh ag minute of his life Pony Bob en- oyed. ; if he ate a crust of bread he was fully satisfied with it, and if he slept on a bed of leaves he enjoyed it, while when ‘‘ the very best” fell to his lot it gave him no greater pleasure. He enjoyed riding along by day and by night on his long and lonely runs, and if danger came he would meet it with a bold front and what his indomitable pluck would not accomplish his cunning and cleverness would. , He had been a target for scores of bullets, but they were wont to pass him by, and when wounded, as he had been several times, they were, as he asserted, ‘‘slight affairs, and I needed bleeding as I was living too high—always on top of a horse.” hen Pony Bob played a joke his quick departure from the crowd showed that he was fearful of consequences, and no one had ever seen him laugh outright himself, but the old trick was always lurking in his eyes, *Such was the Romie Pony Rider that Buf- falo Bill and Gentleman George had gone out on the search of. Buffalo Bill had felt perfect confidencé in Pony Bob's coming in, if he was alive. It was the thought that he had been shot | from ambush that troubled him. And Pony Bob? Why, be had started on time, and with some important papers from San Francisco that a company there had paid the Overland Express Company special rates to have sent through in haste and safely. ' He had ridden faster than his wont, so that the papers could get in ahead of regular schedule time, and had passed station after piaipn ahead of time and without a mis- ap. As he reached the last station before the ope where Gentleman George lived, and which was the end of his eastern run, the — stock-tender said: ‘ ‘* Bob, there is trouble ahead.” ‘© What’s up?” ' “J wes out hunting this afternoon, and I came upon acamp in the timber under Eagle Rock.” ‘Close quarters, there?” ‘‘ Yes, there is no chance of going. through unseen on horseback.” ‘‘No, it does look that way, and they are laying for me?” ‘Yes, they are Cloven Hoofs ” ‘‘ How many of them are there?” ’ «T counted five horses staked out on the little meadow on the creek side of the tim- | ber.” n style.” ‘Yes, if more than two are aes pack-horse generally.” ‘‘That means five men, or four and a ack-horse, for those outlaws always travel along, they + ia as ell, four are a little too rich for my i’, blood, Handy.” 1 : ‘‘That’s what, and if I was you I’d pla the sneak act on them.” . ** How is that?” s “lt is to turn your horse loose and send him in this direction, for I’ll watch for him, - and then slip through on foot, as you can do, and hoof it to the station of Gentleman sy ms ryt y ron 4 ¥: CO YT